Geoff Weigand

Geoff Weigand (born 1964 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian rock climber and road cyclist.

Climbing career

In 1981, at the age of 16, he came to prominence as one of the leading rock climbers in Australia with the onsight ascent of Toyland, 25, considered by most to be the hardest climb in New South Wales (NSW) at the time. Weigand added numerous first free ascents in Australia. Some are at Bombo Quarry, NSW, he redpointed Hangman (27)., Krondorf Theft (25), and Abstractions (25). At Cosmic County, with Aesthetic Images (25), Crosswords (24), Highlights (24), Fading Light (24), Blackboard (24) - all developed in December 1981. He also repeated the best and hardest of his contemporaries' routes (at the time) including ascent of Hollow Men (26).

At Smith Rock, in Oregon, he arrived in early summer '85 with Johnny Woodward and Kim Carrigan with the local core of Alan Watts, Chris Grover, and Brooke Sandhal. He made the first 1-day ascent of Chain Reaction ,

Weigand was profiled in Rock magazine's Jan-Jun 1989 issue noted as "currently at the top of the Australian rockclimbing hit parade" (Chris Baxter, Managing Editor)

He participated in the 1992 Masters competition in Chambery, France as an early competition climbing event held one-week prior to the Olympic games in France's bid to get rock climbing entered as an Olympic sport for the 1998 Seoul, Korean summer games. He placed 19th in the lead climbing event and 5th in the speed climbing event.

In 1992, at the China Wall in Logan Canyon, UT he made the first free ascnet of the sport-climbing route, Blackout , an ascent that Boone Speed called: "The grade of the route is irrelevant, insignificant compared to the pure intensity of the performance. What matters is that Geoff punched it past his personal limits, and, in the process, inspired us to do the same. I wish everyone luck in the search for their own 'Black Out'."

Notable ascents

First free ascents Hangman (27) 1st Ascent Bombo Quarry (1982), NSW Yesterday Direct (28), First Ascent Jet Lag (29) 1st Ascent – Arapiles (1984) Straight Outta Compton (29) 1st Ascent – Arapiles (1985) Slit Your Wrists (5.13b/29) 1st Ascent Smith Rock Hurrikan (5.13b/c) 1st Ascent {1985} - Frankenjura, Germany (1985) Time's Up (5.13a/28), 1st Ascent - Smith Rock Body Count (5.13+) 1st Ascent (1991) - AF Canyon You're Terminated (31), Mt. Arapiles, First Ascent Aesthetic Images (25) 1st Ascent - Cosmic County White Wedding (5.14a), 1989, Smith Rock, one of only 3 climbs of that grade in U.S.A. at time of establishing route, first time an Australian has broken the 5.14 barrier. Weigand rates as 32/33 in Australian grading

First ascents done as free solo and onsight Short and Sharp (25), Arapiles, solo onsight, First Ascent Herbs and Spices (24 -now 23), Arapiles, onsight, First Ascent (solo)

First ascents done as free solo ascents The Janicepts (22) 1st solo, Onsight - Mt Piddington Blue Mountains – John Ewbank’s, original Hardest Route in Australia 1991: Phoenix 9th Annual Bouldering (the first bouldering contest to receive ASCF sanctioning), 3rd place 1992: Chambery Rockmaster, FRA, 19th difficulty, 5th speed - France's attempt to have climbing be an Olympic sport for 1998 Seoul games